


Sunflowers

by janacatharina



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: #ripavengersprompts, Angst, M/M, Sad Fluff, Tony is dead, everything is sad, husbands!rhodeytony, rhodey is sad, rhodeytony - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 09:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19461142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janacatharina/pseuds/janacatharina
Summary: Inspired by the prompt:"A flower a day helps the love to stay." After Tonys death, Rhodey tries to help their love and memories to stay, by doing what Tony did all those years: he brings his husband a new sunflower every single day.





	Sunflowers

"Hey, Tony." He got no answer. "I brought you a flower." Still, nothing. But he had gotten used to that. He had gotten used to the loneliness, the heartache and the flowers that died unappreciated and unseen. And still, he visited everyday. "You used to bring me flowers everyday, remember?", Rhodey asked, a sad smile on his face. "One flower everyday, to be exact." Now he went silent as well, as he looked up to the bright blue sky, with tears streaming down his face. Sometimes he still wondered how the sun could shine, now that the brightest light on earth was gone, how the stars still spread across the nightsky, when the biggest star this universe had ever seen, was no longer here to outshine them; he still wondered how everybody could continue living after earth had lost her best defender, brightest light and biggest star. Because most of the time he still felt like he could not do that at all. Most of the time he still woke up, eager to tell Tony about his dream. Most of the time he had to stop himself from ordering an extra cup of coffee, from bringing that extra cup of coffee into Tonys now empty lab and when all of that still happened despite his good efforts, it took Rhodey everything in him to not break down at the sight of the empty lab because most of the time, he still expected his husband to be down there, overworking himself once again to find more effective methods to keep earth save. Rhodey liked to think that Tony could finally rest now, that he had found his peace and was having fun in heaven, with no care in the world. But on second thoughts, Tony probably took one look at earth from up there and annoyed god until he made him the guardian angel of the entire planet and everyone living on it. Rhodey laughed at that thought:"Well, I hope we're safe now, Tony Stank." 

Still clinging onto the sunflower in his hands, James remembered the day Tonys new nickname was born. It wasn't a fun day, nothing about that day, that time, was good or fun or worth remembering but looking back at it now, he only saw Tony. He only remembered Tony and the way he could still make him laugh, no matter how bad the situation was, he remembered the worried look on his husbands face and the endless love and care in his eyes, he remembered his helping hands that were always there to pull James back on his feet, despite his protests and he remembered Tonys gentle, reassuring touches that always calmed him down and kept him from giving in to the emptiness, desperation and sadness that had been clinging onto his legs ever since that day. He remembered Tony being the only thing to hold onto, to keep him from being sucked into that hole of emptiness, desperation and sadness. Rhodey looked down at his hands when the sun started hurting his eyes and a small sob escapted his lips, as the sunlight reflected on the golden ring on his finger. Oh, how well he remembered the day Tony had finally put that ring on his finger. Rhodey remembered his eyes scanning the room as he waited for his nervous wreck of a fiancé to walk down the aisle and he remembered being even more nervous than Tony but of course, he also remembered rather dying that admitting that to his husband. He remembered the soft smiles they exchanged, the warm look in Tonys eyes and he remembered feeling so in love, so unbelievably happy that there was no way out for all of these overwhelming emotions but through his silent tears that had started running down his cheeks before Tony had even reached him.

James remembered those days like he remembered all the other days with Tony, the good and the bad, though looking back Rhodey felt like days with Tony in his life were never bad. Which is why he thought he was going to die when Tony went missing. James remembered the fear that was with him everyday, that took the place that Tony was supposed to fill, he remembered the loneliness and the tears that filled his eyes as soon as he woke up and realized that still, there was no new sunflower in the vase on their table. Because that was Tonys thing and that was, what all those days with Tony shared, what they all started with, ever since they first started dating: a new sunflower, waiting for James every morning. It seemed small and at first he thought it was silly but the longer Tony kept it going, the more Rhodey grew to adore this small tradition and nothing broke his heart like those months without Tony and without the sunflower on their table. Or so he had thought. He had thought that nothing could hurt him like that time did, that nothing could break him and his heart than Tony being gone and him not knowing wether or not he would ever get him back, wether or not he would ever see a new sunflower waiting for him. But knowing that he was gone was so much worse. Knowing that there was no hope to get him back, knowing that he would never see Tony smile again, knowing that he saw him die- knowing that he would never get a new sunflower was so much worse, hurt so much more and broke him like nothing ever had. Knowing that he lost him pushed him over the edge, right into the hole of emptiness, desperation and sadness and so he held onto the last bit of hope, the last bit of love, that Tony and he had and did, what Tony had done all those years: everyday, Rhodey made his way to the cemetary and brought his husband a new sunflower. 

"Why do you do this everyday?", James had asked, holding the new sunflower in his hand. "Because", Tony had started, arms crossed. "A flower a day helps the love to stay." Rhodey had laughed and kissed his boyfriends cheek. He remembered hoping that Tony was someone he could keep and oh, how right he was. He would keep Tony and their memories, their love, forever, he would help them stay, even if he had to rob the whole world of all her sunflowers.


End file.
